New Place, Same Questions
by Lorilozz
Summary: They prove their love for each other daily, just with the simple things. Why does it seem to take so much effort to get everyone else to believe in them? - NHJ with some Lucas and Whitey


Title: New Place, Same Questions

Summary: They prove their love for each other daily, just with the simple things. Why does it seem to take so much effort to get everyone else to believe in them?

A/N: This short one shot is set three months after High School graduation and explores what Nathan and Haley may have been facing at that point of their lives including a new baby and starting at a new College where rumor are spreading like wildfire, but also the people they have to support them.

Thank you to Dawn (BabbleBaby) for her help with this piece.

* * *

"Oh great! Just freakin' great." Haley sighed as she sank down on the edge of the bed and stared at the run in her stockings. At the slight gurgling sound she looked across to where her son was staring at her curiously from his crib. 

"Oh, that's not a good word." She murmured to herself before quirking her brow thoughtfully. "'Freakin'… no that's okay. I'm pretty sure 'freakin' doesn't count as a bad word."

Her son laughed at her then, his eyes sparkling bright like a clear blue sky… exactly like his daddy's. She moved over to the crib and softly stroked his cheek, his hand automatically reaching out to grab at her. It still amazed her how small he was, the sight of his whole hand wrapped around just one of her fingers making her heart flip. She loved Nathan, oh how she loved him, but she hadn't known what the love of a child would be like. It was different. Not better, or more important, but different.

"Oh, don't you laugh at me munchkin." She said playfully as Jamie smiled and chuckled in his special baby way. She'd never get tired of watching him, especially when he was like this; so happy and carefree. She'd keep it that way for him forever if she could.

Refocusing on the problem at hand, Haley glanced down again at her ruined stockings. They were her last pair since she hadn't had a chance to get to the mall today like she'd planned; it was never easy getting anywhere with a baby. She glanced across at Jamie who was now happily reaching up trying to touch the toy frog hanging from the mobile above him and she smiled at the look of concentration on his face.

"Your momma's a mess, Jamie."

Taking a deep breath she stood and removed the stockings, determined to finish getting ready despite the fact that the universe seemed to be conspiring against her. Tonight they were going to dinner for a bit of a casual meet and greet with some of the other players on the basketball team. It wasn't mandatory, but when Lucas had mentioned it, she'd shot down all of Nathan's excuses not to go, like not wanting to leave Jamie home and preferring to spend his time with his wife, not a bunch of guys who would monopolize a lot of his family time in the coming years anyway. She'd wanted him to go; both of them. Basketball was important to him and she really didn't want him thinking he always had to choose between his family and the game. She'd only be thinking about him when she'd pushed him that night, and had overlooked the fact that while she wanted to be supportive of her husband, she had her own doubts about going.

Nerves had been getting the better of her all day as she thought about meeting all of her husband's new team mates. It didn't help that today had been the first day of classes and she'd heard whispers now and then both in class and in the hallways about her and Nathan. It wasn't like they were the biggest news on campus, but quite a few people had heard the rumor circulating about them getting married in high school and then having a baby, and it seemed like people were too afraid to just come out and ask.

Both she and Nathan wore their wedding rings, so that had pretty much confirmed the marriage rumor, but the other students were still curious about the 'alleged' baby and how two teenagers could have ended up in their situation. It was so strange to her how others seemed to almost pity them and think of it as a misfortune - being married and 'saddled' with a kid so young, whereas she was thankful everyday for her family.

Realizing the time, Haley dropped her ruined stockings on the bed and raced into the bathroom. Class had run over and she'd gotten stuck in traffic bringing Jamie home from the daycare centre so by the time she'd made it home and fed him… and fussed over him, still feeling incredibly guilty for leaving him for a full day for the first time ever, Haley was already running behind schedule. Nathan and Lucas would be home from the gym any minute now and she'd wanted to tidy up the house a bit, but that just hadn't happened. She surveyed the living area which currently resembled a war torn village, and grimaced. The boxes that they hadn't gotten around to unpacking yet were scattered everywhere. Although she noted with a resigned smile that the television and play station were set up; the hand controls and games scattered around as though they'd lived here for months, not days.

She remembered walking out of hers and Nathan's room after unpacking her clothing the night they had all moved in, to find the brothers sitting on unpacked boxes in front of the TV playing NBA Live, their teasing and taunting made in whispers as Jamie lay asleep in his basinet beside his daddy. There was no way her son would escape a love of basketball, especially when he was surrounded by it even in his sleep.

Combing a hand through her locks Haley chuckled remembering how she'd subtly mentioned that maybe they should worry about settling in first before playing games, both brothers distractedly reassuring her they'd get to it soon. Glancing at the boxes they'd been using to sit on for the past three days, she hoped that she'd passed on her own neat and organized tendencies to her son. Then again, growing up with Nathan and Lucas she was pretty sure the Nature over Nurture theory might apply. Lord help her.

Raising her brow Haley wondered if maybe spending too much time around the Scott brothers had rubbed off on her and she'd lost her own ability to be neat and tidy. There was dirty washing in a pile at one end of the sofa, clean washing waiting to be ironed or folded at the other, text books on the coffee table … and strewn around the apartment was what looked like enough baby 'stuff' for five children. She'd never thought looking after a child would be easy, but in that moment she realized she had never really appreciated exactly how much her mother went through looking after the whole clan of James children… plus her dad who was probably more of a child than any of his kids.

The front door opened and Nathan entered with a huge smile on his face, closely followed by his brother. He walked to her quickly, placing a kiss on her lips, then her forehead before racing off to their room to see Jamie.

"Hey Hales." Luke said with a smile as he closed the door behind him.

"Well at least someone seems happy to see me." She joked not at all annoyed that Nathan had been eager to check on Jamie first.

"Yeah. Well, you haven't had to listen to him whining all day and practically doing a running countdown of how long until he got to come home and see him."

Haley laughed at the thought, but was filled with warmth knowing how much Nathan had been missing their son. She'd felt the same way; even using the in built timer on her cell phone so she could regularly check how many hours until she could pick her baby up from daycare.

He walked across the room to give his best friend a hug. "Ewww. Luke! You're all sweaty and gross."

"Hey! Why am I always 'sweaty and gross'" he asked mimicking her disgusted facial expression, before taking on a husky tone and wiggling his eyebrows "yet Nathan is 'hot and sweaty'?"

Haley laughed smacking his shoulder playfully before turning at the sound of her husband's voice. "Because if I ever hear her referring to you being 'hot and sweaty' I'll kick your ass."

Nathan glared playfully as Lucas held up his hands in defense and made his way into the couple's room to quickly say hello to his nephew, and avoid witnessing his brother and best friend make out. Damn, he was going to have to get used to that now that they were all living together.

"I wasn't joking. I better not find out that you like anyone else all hot and sweaty." Nathan muttered against her lips, before pressing against them softly, teasingly. He smiled as she moaned and pushed herself further into him causing him to bite back his own moan.

"Don't worry. You know you're the only one I like getting hot and sweaty with." She whispered as she left a trail of kisses up along his slightly stubbled jaw to below his ear. "But..."

Nathan pulled away and looked at her questioningly. "But?"

"Well, there is this other guy in my life who I happen to see naked a lot… he's really cute and has these beautiful blue eyes."

Nathan shook his head and chuckled, pouting his lips petulantly. "You're mean! Using our son to try and make me all jealous."

"Oh, I'm sorry. How can I make it up to you?"

He shivered at the sexy tone she used and the glimmer of longing in her eyes. They hadn't been intimate in almost a week and that may not seem long to some people considering they had a baby, but for them it felt like forever. Back in Tree Hill they'd had more time to themselves, a big house with lots of privacy and his mother had always been more than willing to care for her Grandson, but now they were living with Luke and he was finding it hard to adjust to the thought of making love to his wife while his brother was just across the hall.

"Oh, I think you've got a pretty good idea."

Haley squealed as he lifted her off the ground, her legs automatically wrapping around his waist as he walked them through to their room and dropped her on the bed.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" The couple turned to find Lucas staring at them, his eyes filled with horror. "Damn it. Can you please make sure I'm not around before you start tearing each other's clothes off… and I really don't think my nephew needs to be permanently scarred by this."

Haley giggled and rolled her eyes. "Calm down Luke. We were just playing. We've got to get ready for dinner so there's no time to get… hot and sweaty anyway."

Nathan scowled and pushed himself up from the bed. "Stupid dinner. Maybe we can skip it."

"No." she laughed, standing up and pushing him into their en suite bathroom. "We can get to that later. Now go get ready."

"I'm serious Hales. That," Luke gestured to the now empty bed, grimacing at the memory of what he just witnessed, "can not be good for Jamie's emotional development."

Haley scoffed. "Oh, shut up! I'm more concerned about your emotional development. In case you hadn't figured it out by the existence of your nephew… Nathan and I have sex. Get over it… and go and get ready."

"Geez, Hales. You're really taking to this mom stuff. I feel like I'm still living at home."

She gave him a look that clearly said 'you should really stop talking now' and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Okay, okay. I'm going."

When he'd left the room Haley looked at her reflection in the mirror of the dressing table and sighed. She looked okay, she guessed. Her hair which she'd cut a little shorter since graduation was now back to a rich brown color that she liked and was easier to manage… and which Nathan assured her he loved. 'Fucking sexy' had been the term he'd used when she'd come home from the hairdressers. She'd never been one for a lot of make up and had simply used some bronzer to highlight her cheeks and eyes. The outfit had been her biggest problem, with not all of her clothes fitting perfectly since she still had a little bit of baby weight to lose. It wasn't much and she knew that, but no matter how many times Nathan told her she was the sexiest she'd ever been, she knew that standing next to the other player's beautiful girlfriends would have all of her insecurities coming to the surface.

It wasn't until Nathan, who stood behind her wrapped in a towel, placed his hands on her shoulders that she even realized he was there. So lost in her own thoughts, Haley hadn't even noticed him in their reflection and Nathan knew, without even having to ask, what had her looking so contemplative. Leaning down he placed a kiss on her shoulder before resting his chin there to lock gazes with her in the mirror.

"You look beautiful Hales."

She smiled, her hand reaching up to touch his face as she leant back against his broad chest. "You look kind of tired. How was the gym?"

Nathan groaned. "It was good; intense… and man am I paying for it."

"Don't push yourself too hard Nathan. You don't have to prove yourself to anyone. You're a great player and that's all anyone is going to care about. Don't go hurting yourself trying to prove something to these people."

Nathan sighed and straightened up a little, rubbing his hands up and down her arms. "But I do Hales. It's been one day and already I have heard the words cheater and point shaver whispered so many times I've lost count."

The sag in his shoulders and the resignation in his voice made her want to cry. One stupid mistake had already cost him so much and even though what Whitey had offered him was such an amazing opportunity, the past was still haunting him. She just hoped that everyone would look past his colorful history and appreciate the effort he puts into the game. She'd never seen anyone so focused on giving something their all the way Nathan did with his basketball. She just hoped this college and all the skeptics deserved his all.

"It will get better Nathan. I promise you. Besides, if it makes you feel any better, not everyone is gossiping about your 'sordid' past."

"Oh yeah." He chuckled before kissing the top of her head and moving over to the closet to get his clothes out. "Some other poor sucker's getting crucified by the rumor mill? Great. Why don't you fill me in?"

She watched him as he removed the towel, revealing his gloriously perfect naked form. She would never grow tired of looking at him. She knew every line of that body, every dip, every curve, had touch every part of him; tasted every part of him.

"Haley. Hales." Nathan smirked as he picked up his son and held him in his arms, waiting for his wife to snap out of her little daydream. He knew that look; knew what she was thinking, and just knowing what she was thinking about made him want to hand Jamie over to his Uncle Luke, take off the clothes he'd just put on and drag her onto the bed with him.

"Sorry. What?" she asked dazedly

"You were about to tell me which bit of gossip could possibly be big enough to trump my point shaving." He smiled down at Jamie, marveling at the fact that when holding his son, all his problems seemed so insignificant.

"Oh." She bit her lip and shrugged nervously. "Our teen wedding and pregnancy?"

Nathan's face grew serious and he placed his son back down before moving around to stand in front of her. He could feel his blood boil at the thought of Haley being harassed or snickered at. "Are people giving you a hard time? Did someone say something to you?"

"No. No one's said anything to me or been horrible… it's just that I can feel them staring sometimes you know, and catch parts of whispered conversations. It feels like everyone is talking about us."

He sighed and pulled her into his chest, his big strong arms wrapping around her to hold her tight. "I'm sorry. I wish they'd just mind their on business."

"It's okay. I can deal with it. I'm more concerned about you, Nathan. You've already got so much to deal with and I don't want these rumors to get to you." She looked up and smiled sadly. "Look, maybe it would be better if you went alone tonight. You know, get a chance to meet your team mates properly just as yourself; Nathan Scott - the basketball player, rather than Nathan Scott - the husband and father.

Nathan shook his head vigorously. "No. No way."

"Just think about it. If I'm there with you they might be more likely to want to discuss our marriage and ask if the rumors are true. Of course that might happen anyway, but if you're there alone then you can keep things on track; just stick to talking about the game and let them get to know you as a team mate."

"Haley, I can't do that. I can't separate my life like that. There is no Nathan Scott – basketball player, or Nathan Scott – family man. I'm both Hales and I don't want to pretend otherwise. I'm proud of both of those parts of my life and I won't hide you or Jamie just to avoid some uncomfortable questions. No way."

Closing her eyes Haley was filled with love for this man who continued to astound her every day. "Okay. Thank you. I love you for that, I really do."

"Can you handle it Hales? Are you going to be okay tonight?"

"Yeah. I'll be fine. I'm so proud of you and Jamie and this family we've made together. I know trying to avoid questions seems like I'm ashamed or something but that's not it at all. I just hate the way people look at us when they find out we got married in high school and that we have Jamie. It's like I can see their minds ticking over and that moment where they think they've got it all figured out. There's just this look in their eye that drive's me nuts. They may as well come out and say 'Oh, so you got knocked up and got married. Sucks to be you.'"

"I know. I know Hales. I mean we dealt with that to a small degree when we first got married and everyone assumed you were pregnant."

Haley smirked and shook her head. "God, do you remember Brooke? That girl was like a dog with a bone. And then Whitey gave us that baby blanket…"

The couple looked down into the crib at their son who was starting to doze off lying on top of that very same blanket. It was funny how things turned out.

"Yes, and I could still strangle her for it." Nathan joked, leaning down to kiss his wife's nose before getting serious again. "But after a while it was obvious to everyone that we got married because we wanted to, because we loved each other and wanted to spend the rest of our lives together. Now we're in the position where everyone is going to make assumptions again until they're set straight. It shouldn't matter and I know that, and you know that… but it doesn't change the fact that we both hate feeling like we have to defend our marriage, and Jamie… our family."

Haley moved her hands up his chest to rest on the sides of his face. "It's going to be okay. We'll get through this like we've gotten through everything else. Together."

There was a knock at the door before they heard Lucas' voice. "Is it safe to come in or will I have to bleach my eyes again if I enter?"

"Come in man." Nathan called. He kissed Haley's forehead before releasing her and pulling on his shirt.

"Whitey just arrived to look after Jamie. You nearly ready?"

Haley nodded and picked up her now sleeping son from his crib. She couldn't help smiling as Luke leaned down to place a kiss on his forehead and stroked his chubby little cheek. It was going to be so great having Luke live with them. She and Nathan knew that juggling college and a baby was going to be difficult, and it was still going to be hard, but with Luke there for support things would just be that much easier. Knowing that 'Uncle Whitey' was waiting in the living room to look after his surrogate Grandchild only reinforced how lucky she knew they were to have so many people in their lives that cared.

"Change of plans Luke. Go tell Whitey that he'd better be dressed to impress because he's going to dinner."

Haley turned to faced him, her brow creased in confusion. "What? Nathan… you have to go. I think it's really important that you meet your new team mates tonight."

Nathan smiled as he did up the last button on his shirt. "So do I. But they're going to meet Nathan Scott – the basketballer, the husband… and the father. We're taking Jamie with us."

"Oh Nathan!" Haley moved to his side, one arm holding their son, the other reaching up to pull his head down so she could capture his lips in a kiss filled with love, pride and gratitude. "Thank you."

"I want to show off my family." He grinned kissing her again before looking over at his brother. "All of my family. That includes you dufus… and the old grouch out there."

Whitey's rumbling voice echoed down the hallway. "Hey! I heard that Scott!"


End file.
